The Enigma of Sorrow
by DementedWritingGnome
Summary: A series of one-shots looking into the life of China Sorrows.
1. Just Another Beautiful Mark

Disclaimer: I own naught- I just play in several sandboxes.

A/N- I just thought I might do an accompaniment to my third drabble in 'SP drabbles'. China/ Vengeous and China/Vile pairing.

"Madam?"

China looked up briefly, snapped out of her pensive thought. Her newest helper was holding a cup of tea for her. Graciously nodding her thanks, she accepted the cup and returned to her musings. So, Vengeous had escaped. Well, it was going to happen one day. She'd hoped, tried to convinced herself that the cell could hold him, but in her heart she knew. Knew that only one cell could hold him; but even Death would have a titanic struggle. Knowing Vengeous, _Oh, and you knew him very well, didn't you? _He'd probably come back just to spite them. Bit like Skulduggery, in that sense. _Oh, yes, _she pondered, _they are quite like each other. How ironic, that in different circumstances, they would have been as close as brothers. _**Apart from one vital difference; **another voice had evidently decided to offer his opinion: **You never loved Skulduggery. And he never loved you. **_Thank the higher powers for that, _she thought fervently. _I have the ever-enhancing suspicion that a love-struck Skulduggery would be bloody difficult to get rid of. But I never really loved Vengeous, did I? He was just another beautiful mark in a mission that was well accomplished. Why don't I just forget about him? _**It's not that easy. Vengeous was an important part of my life during my childhood, and even when I left, when I went undercover, he was still an extraordinarily beautiful mark**_**.**_ _Just not as pretty as Vile. _**Yes, well. **The other voice snapped, annoyed.

Her mind was as tangled as a ball of wool- it appeared easy to unwrap, yet truly it had mazes and knots that Fort Knox would be proud of. Soon, she had once more lost herself without a map in the spider's web of tangled thoughts and intricacies. As she was close to organising her thoughts so that they seemed only reasonably tangled, she was suddenly overwhelmed as a memory overtook her senses.

The smell of flowers assaulted her nose, freshly mown grass filtered through her fingertips as she picked up a bundle of the soft, spiny leaves. Closing her fist around them, she stood and hurled them at another child nearby. The grass stroked his ear as it whizzed past him, and hit the back of another. The boy whose ear had been hit turned and glared at her, but with a silly grin on his face that told her he didn't really mind. The other boy had also turned, and now the hit one ran towards her. Her big brother picked her up by the armpits and twirled her round, round and round again till she felt dizzy. She could only focus on his face, and the grin, if possible, widened further upon seeing her elated face. He placed her gently upon the ground, and all present laughed when the five-year-old tried to stand, and tottered around like a drunk. Her brother's face was alight with laughter; but she was not looking at him; she was surveying the other boys that were grouped round. There were only two. One was tall, with blonde-brown hair -that would darken as he got older- wearing a light but somewhat condescending smile. The warmth supposed in his smile didn't reach his ice-grey eyes, which were remote and distant. She didn't really like him, China decided. The other was a boy with a black floppy fringe that fell over one eye. He was studying her intently with big green eyes. As soon as she made eye contact with him, he blushed, ducked his head before looking back up at her with a shy smile lingering on his mouth. China smiled back before he dipped his head again and hid behind his fringe.

China returned to the world with a start. That new employee was watching her again. "Yes?" she snapped, not at all pleased to be jolted from the pleasant land of her memories. "Excuse me, madam, but you asked to be notified when Mr Pleasant, Ms Low or Miss Cain entered the building. Mr Pleasant and Miss Cain are on the staircase as we speak."

"Ah, thank you. Please forgive my hostile temper, I was… deep in thought, one might say," She smiled slightly.

As always, please review with either constructive criticism or praise- however, flames will be used to burn down senders house.


	2. The Undefeatable Daemon

WARNING SPOILERS FOR BOOKS 2+3!!! Disclaimer- not mine, no no no no no no. no. Damn.

It was untameable, rising above her like a dark cloud, bent on the permanent destruction of her day. It wouldn't stay where she wanted it to- this thing; well, she wouldn't be surprised if it had some symbolic powers of it's own to which it had decided to put to use. She'd never fully control it; she accepted that now. But some _degree_ of control would be nice. But no, instead it rose above her, quite literally dampening her day. It wouldn't matter so much if this were an ordinary day; she could simply say she was trying out a new style, and besides, all her employees were too terrified of her to say anything anyway. The would act as if they knew nothing was wrong- but _she _would know, and that was still enough to make her mood as black as the symbols that currently rested underneath her skin. She could feel them, endlessly shifting, one or two wrapping themselves around muscle, blood vessels or bones in an attempt, she supposed, to get- warm? Comfortable? More annoying? No, that wasn't possible. If she tried hard enough and asserted her will, she could almost bind the black shapes form doing their main occupation- eternally writhing underneath herself, trying to get closer to her soul. The cloud writhed above her, drawing her attention once again to her current problem.

China Sorrows was having a bad hair day.

Her, the collector of books, artefacts and generally priceless items; she, who had power over the most strong-willed of men; her, the rogue traitor turned millionaire good girl; she, who defeated the Grotesquery and the foul plots of the group she had founded, once led; and yet still she could not get her hair to STAY FLAT. LIKE IT WAS MEANT TO.

Her emotions were running higher now, higher than they had run for several years- not even being told her brother was dead, killed by the very gods she had once worshipped, had such emotion risen in her. Not even losing Skul, her longest unloving, unliving _friend _who had been taken so swiftly, not even losing him had aroused such outpourings of emotion in her. She sank to the floor, the breath knocked out of her by the sheer force of what had happened overwhelming her. She shook with each memory that passed over her, knowing that she would never see either of them again.

…_picking her up, twirling her round and round….four year old smiling goofily at her big brother, her hero…_

"_My books! Skulduggery!" Anguish and pain and rage…."You cannot pay for priceless books! That's why they call them priceless!"_

"_My sister? You tried to kill my sister?"…"My sister is the only family I have left." Her big brother, her hero, attacking Krav for her…_

"_Honestly, Skulduggery, what would you do without me?"Her light tone mocking him gently…_

She wouldn't have done it if she'd known how little time she'd have left with him. With Skul. She's have been a real friend, and they'd have talked and had long conversations spent despising Remus Crux and suitable deaths for him over a cup of tea….for her, obviously, not for him.

Her hair was just the little thing that finally tipped the scales, that (she hated peddling clichés, but there it was) final lead-lined, eighteen-tonne straw that broke the camels back. Today was Bliss' funeral; whatever pulpy, mashed remains that had been left behind had been gathered and burned, and today the ceremony would take place with every Sanctuary official there. A few would come to see his ashes scattered; fewer yet would go to the reading of his will, as read by his Echo Stone. Rare as they were, the Irish Sanctuary had quite a collection. Guild had been reluctant to donate one to Mr Bliss, but China, Tanith and Valkyrie had soon convinced him. It was possibly the combination of the sword at his throat (Tanith), a fireball threatening to light his brains up (Valkyrie) and being impossibly in love while trapped in a black circle on her carpet (China). A firm believer that mourners should wear dark clothing, China wore an obsidian suit with a knee-length straight skirt. Her blouse was onyx silk with a ruffle down the front. Her fitted jacket's sleeves came to her elbow, exposing her smooth, firm brown forearms, wrists encased in black leather gloves. Her shoes were simple black leather- she looked nothing less than her best. She had shunned jewellery and any type of adornment other than her black leather gloves and a pair of very special earrings- pieces of black crystal from the shattered Sceptre, set in silver.

Still weeping quietly on the floor (she was glad she hadn't put on her make-up yet), her thoughts revolved around her brother. They had been as thick as thieves when growing up, til the age of 15 and 13 respectively. Bliss had left the family mansion in the middle of the night after a huge row with their parents. Of course, China had been sent out, but she had eavesdropped. Still, everything she heard was muffled, and she could only make out a few words and phrases. It seemed that Bliss was protesting against the family's religion, and threatening to leave- one of many threats which he carried out. That incident had been the cause of great distance between the siblings in the next 80 years, even after China had switched sides. They had only become close again in the last two or three years, when their distrust of each other had finally faded. Soon her brother was coming round for weekly visits, sitting at a small table in her apartment, taking brunch or afternoon tea and talking. The first ones were awkward, with halting sentences and much blushing accompanied by little eye-contact. After that, China realised that her brother was not really that comfortable with the rather personal subjects they had been broaching ( or trying to) and, at their next meeting, had surprised Bliss totally by asking about his favourite book. He had replied that it was a novel by a fairly obscure author, and that unfortunately a ruler had declared the author heretic, and burnt all his books on a bonfire. A week later, China had opened their meeting by handing over a priceless copy of his favourite book, telling him she thought he might appreciate it. In return, he gave her a £20,000 voucher for Armani. As soon as he handed over the gift card, she initiated the first physical contact between them in years- she'd hugged him. He'd hesitated at first, but then held her tight.

The door gently opened, and Tanith's face poked around the edge. Her face went blank as she took in the sobbing woman on the floor. A voice called from the landing, "Tanith, what's taking you so long?" Val walked in as well, but unlike Tanith she approached China. She knelt behind China; correctly realising that China would rather die than let anybody see her tearstained face. She hugged China from behind, rocking her slowly. After a few minutes China stopped weeping, and stood up straight. She snuffled a little, then splashed her face with cold water and quickly restored her face to it's normal beauty. For the funeral she was going natural, with only foundation and concealer on.

The sorcerer minister finished talking, and all eyes were upon China as she stepped forward and placed a single long sprig of elderflower upon the gravestone.


End file.
